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United States Marine Corps
Marines from the United States Marine Corps were the principal military force on Manhattan Island, tasked with containing the spread of the Blacklight virus. Overview A large detachment of Marines under the command of Colonel Ian Taggart were folded under the command of the 1st Biological Warfare Command for the deployment on the quarantined of Manhattan Island. Equipped with tanks, armored personnel carriers and helicopters, they are the public face of the occupation, and are responsible for the outcome of the New York occupation, and any collateral damage and death tolls. Blackwatch considers them disposable tools, and treat them as such. The Marines are used as cannon fodder, and are sent into engagements for the purposes of taking the brunt of the casualties and marking the targets for the Blackwatch troops. After staging the combat zone for Blackwatch, they arrive to "clean up" the weakened enemy. Although the marines fight alongside Blackwatch, they seem to have very little knowledge of who the Blackwatch personnel are, besides the fact that they were ordered by their marine superiors to obey orders from Blackwatch. Many marines have no knowledge of the different Blackwatch ranks or the engagement protocols that they follow. Storyline development By the time Alex Mercer awakes up in the Gentek morgue, martial law has been declared and New York City itself has been militarily occupied whilst the virus rages throughout it on epidemic proportions. While suffering from high casualties including the loss of Colonel Taggart himself, the marines, with the help of Blackwatch, eventually are able to contain the viral outbreak. What they do not realize however, is that Mercer has been secretly helping them (by attacking and consuming Elizabeth Greene, the root source of the viral madness). The various news reports during the game's credits are heard thanking the marines for their brave sacrifices. sprinting through a group of marines.]] The marine presence in Manhattan is gradually increased and felt more throughout the course of the infection. They initially occupy small areas, with small numbers and a few patrols. The patrols typically consist of a single APC, later accompanied by a UAV. This gradually builds up to match the viral build-up, to the point where marine bases are stationed in numerous locations, the density of troops is very high, vehicles are used on patrols and gunships are constantly in the area ready to respond to a strike request the instant it is called. The larger patrols consist of two tanks, and patrol outside of military zones. Equipment The Marines' equipment is largely composed of the same weapons and vehicles used by Blackwatch: Assault Rifles, Machine Guns, Grenade Launchers, Missile Launcher. Their vehicle pool is completely inaccurate however, the Armored Personal Carriers, Tanks, Gunships, and Transport Helicopters in game reflect what the United States Army operates, not the Marine Corps. More exotic equipment, such as UAVs and Viral Detectors appear later in game. Ranks Marine :Main article: Marine '' The Marines are well trained soldiers. They are equipped with woodland patterned battle dress uniforms with tactical vests and combat webbing, a load bearing pack, a tactical helmet with a black balaclava and weapons depending on their specialty - anything ranging from the standard M4 to the destructive Javelin missile launcher. Curiously, their uniforms are devoid of any patches or insignia. Notes: If you are disguised as a grunt and push them (by walking right past them) they may think you wish to pick a fight with them and push you back. Usually saying things such as,"You want a piece of ''me ''bro?", "Back the fuck off." etc. If you are a high ranking officer and push them, (again by walking right past them), they will usually say things such as,"Ready to fight, sir!", "Semper Fi, Captain.", etc. Marine officer :''Main article: Marine officer '' Equipped in a similar way to regular marines, Officers are distinguishable by their eight-pointed service caps, black sunglasses and rolled up sleeves. Their Rank Insignia is displayed on both sleeves, and is that of a Staff Non-Commissioned Officer. Usually, they are armed with an M4 assault rifle. Officers are mostly seen walking about near the M35 50-Ton Trucks at the Military Bases, and follow a simple patrol pattern. There ARE however a few Officers walking about Manhattan as Web of Intrigue absorption targets, and some within consumption events early in the game. Notes: If you are disguised as a standard grunt of either the Marines or Blackwatch and you push (by walking right past them) the Officer, he will usually scold, or ask you what is your major malfunction. If you are another officer or a Blackwatch commander, the officers as well as grunts will salute you. If you (disguised as one) happen to push (again by walking right past them) another officer, they usually say things such as; "Attention!", "Ten-Hut!", "Sir!", "Hut...!", etc. Pilot :''Main article: Pilot '' Outfitted the same as their Blackwatch equivalents, pilots wear woodland camo fatigues, a kevlar vest and a pilot helmet with a shaded visor. When they are on the ground, they are armed with pistols, but if within a Military Base as an Instructor for Knowledge Absorption Target, they will pace around upon a black metal grate on one side of the room, next to their respective skill upgrade vehicle. If you engage other Marine units within the base and haven't gone for the Pilot yet, he tends to stay back with the side-arm, Pilots usually being non ground combatants. Notable characters * Colonel Ian Taggart - Commanding Officer Behavioral patterns * Marines are generally very cautious of their surroundings. This is portrayed when they are suspicious of anything unusual that is happening. For example, if Alex Mercer does anything that hints at his superhuman abilities, such as sprinting by at high speed or landing unharmed after falling from a great hight, and cracking the pavement upon contact, the marines that are close will turn towards him and shout to alert their comrades of suspicious activity. Those that are far away will run towards the area and hang around for approximately ten seconds, investigating the area while sending radio messages. However, this will never cause them to take action against Mercer. * If Alex Mercer shows any signs of violence, such as punching or kicking civilians and objects, while within the marine's line of sight, they will warn Mercer to stop what he is doing and leave the area. Pushing marines around also applies as a violent action, and will cause marines to shove him in turn and eventually flag you as the enemy. This only applies if Mercer is not disguised as a commander, in which case they will stand to attention when casually pushed. * '''General tips on not being recognised:' Never switch your disguise or activate any powers in front of a military unit, but feel free to do so if the target is not facing you (excluding tanks and helicopters if they are in the area). Sometimes, it is possible to push a marine and when he is stumbling and facing away from you, you can switch disguise without raising an alert. Never grab any marines, Blackwatch or pedestrians when others can see you. Remember that grabbing the Infected is perfectly fine, and the marines nearby will attempt to shoot the Infected that you have in hand. Do not consume the creature while you can be seen, though, as it will alert them. Grabbing a lone marine or civilian and allowing them to shout for help while there are other marines nearby will cause them to approach and circle you, ordering you to let them go. However, grabbing a lone marine or civilian and immediately consuming him will not trigger this 'help' behavior, since the unlucky marine/civilian did not even have time to yell for help. You can pick up smaller objects (fences, benches, dustbins, etc.) without raising an alert, but do not throw them anywhere as that action will raise an alert. You can wallclimb to a certain height without raising an alert, but after climbing over a certain height your alert level will start to rise very quickly. If you raise an alert in a base, grabbing the closest marine, hiding from the view of the rest, and then consuming him can terminate the alert. Patsy is an efficient attention-diverting and alert-removing move, but do not Patsy a lone marine when no other marines are nearby to see and listen, because the reward you'll get is an alert. * All of these behavioural patterns apply to Blackwatch soldiers as well. Trivia * A Web of Intrigue target reveals that the military estimates 1000 to 2500 marines would die per week during the quarantine. However, this estimate was likely based on information gained from the Hope, Idaho outbreak. Since the virus devastating New York had a lower mortality rate for infected victims, this would mean the Marines would be facing a much different situation from Hope and therefore likely would have sustained higher casualties. * The Marines are not the only branch of the US military deployed to Manhattan, though they are undoubtedly the largest and most obvious. US Army Apaches, M35 trucks, M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tanks, M2 Bradley IFVs and Blackhawk helicopters are the only armour and aviation found throughout the island, and Air Force F-22 Raptors are glimpsed in cutscenes performing patrols in unison with Marine F-35B Lightning IIs over the waters surrounding Manhattan. The US Navy carrier Ronald Reagan serves as an auxiliary base and refueling point for overflight patrols. * While the military combatants in the game are portrayed and characterized as the US Marines (with the exception of Blackwatch, a special forces unit), many of the cutscenes from the Web of Intrigue show soldiers wearing the United States Army Combat Uniform. * Despite being in an urban setting, the Marines do not wear the proper camouflage pattern and instead opt for woodland camouflage. ** The marines' inaccurate camouflage would suggest they were rushed from foreign deployments, to New York, although it is possible the designers intended this, so they would be more obvious among the chaos of red zones. * The Marines can be seen fighting alongside Alex from time to time, usually during special Kill Events, or War Events. * If Alex assumes a military officer disguise (Blackwatch or Marine), then it is possible to have lower ranking troopers to follow him. * Web of Intrigue targets suggest that during the latter stages of the outbreak on Manhattan, the initial distrust Marines felt towards Blackwatch forces escalate into outright hatred after several instances of Blackwatch troopers opening fire on Marines and civilians, infected or not. Category:Military Category:Factions Category:Marines